Buffing wheel

ABSTRACT

The buffing wheels of this invention include a buffing wheel shaft on which buffing wheel sections and spacers are alternately slidably mounted with the spacers interconnected in keyed engagement with each other and with the rims of the wheel sections firmly gripped between the faces of paired and interkeyed spacers.

United States Patent n91 Harper [54] BUFFING WHEEL [76] Inventor: John Ford Harper, Ames Hollow Road, Portland, Conn. 060 16 221 Filed: Nov. 12, 1971 [21] Appl. N0.: 198,254

[52] US. Cl ..51/332, 15/181 [51] Int. Cl. ..B24b 9/02 [58] Field of Search ..5l/332, 376-379;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,289,234 12/1966 Nelson ..l5/l8lX 1 Apr. 3, 1973 3,407,425 10/1968 Drumm ..15/l8l 3,643,281 2/1972 Schofield ..1S/l8l Primary Examiner-Othell M. Simpson Attorney-John B. Willard [57] ABSTRACT The buffing wheels of this invention include a buffing wheel shaft on which buffing wheel sections and spacers are alternately slidably mounted with the spacers interconnected in keyed engagement with each other and with the rims of the wheel sections firmly gripped between the faces of paired and interkeyed spacers.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 3 I975 FIG. I

INVE N TOR J. F. HARPER nurrmc WHEEL This invention generally relates to buffing machines and more particularly to the buffing wheels with which those machines finish surfaces. In accordance with the prior art, several plies of pleated fabric are gripped together in an internal rim to form a circular buff section, a series of which is clamped on a driven buff shaft to form a buff wheel. Buffing compound supplied to the peripheral face of the rotated wheel buff-finishes work presented to it. The compound is drawn by the face of the wheel in abraiding engagement over the surface being finished. Necessarily, the face of the wheel must retain a coating or head of compound and remain in abraiding engagement with the surface to be finished.

Heat generated by the operation frequently is sufficient to ignite the fabric of the wheel and dissipation of the heat is essential as is continued application of compound.

Present practice provide buff wheels having initial diameter of an order of 18 to inches and provides for wear to a rim diameter of '5 to 9 inches. The final inch or two of fabric generally is too densely gathered at the rim to perform the buff operation achieved with the outer and looser pleats of fabric. Generally, a smaller diameter rim is used for the less dense or color buffing sections that are employed for high luster finishes. Less abrasive cutting action and highest luster may be achieved together with maximum wheel wear using less densely gathered and more loosely woven, softer fabrics secured in rims of the smallest.

diameter practical. Conversely, heavy and closely woven fabrics secured in larger diameter rims of 7 or 9 inches are employed for more aggressive and coarser cut buffing. Smaller diameter rims are impractical and waste fabric because the wheel would be excessively hard and inflexible for desirable buffing action if worn to lesser diameter than permitted by the larger 7 or 9 inch rim.

Different diameter rims may be adapted to the diameter of the buff wheel shaft by center plates each having a flanged center hole or hub to slidably fit the buff shaft and an outer flange in which the fabricgripping rim is secured.

When assembling buff wheel sections on a buff shaft, the flanged center hole or hub may cock at an angle and not readily slide to its proper snugly assembled position when a lock nut is tightened on the end of the shaft to secure a wheel assembly of sections on the shaft. Subsequent buffing rotation of the wheel may release the angular locks" of cocked sections and require retightening of the lock nut to prevent the sections from turning on the shaft and loss of buff rotation.

Conventional spacers interposed in the assembled wheel between the sections to increase its flexibility and lessen its density may contribute to the rotation of sections relative to each other and to the shaft.

Broadly, an object of the invention is to provide improved buff section and spacer assemblies which are more readily assembled, more positively secured and more thoroughly cooled than those of the prior art.

In accordance with the invention the individual buff sections are secured between spacer rings that are keyed together against rotation relative to each other.

Preferably, the sections and spacers are preassembled and secured together for mounting as an assembly or partial assembly on the buff shaft.

Advantageously, the preassembly not only facilitates replacement of worn sections but, in addition, avoids cocking and cramping of sections and spacers on the shaft.

The shaft may be hollow with provision for introducing cooling air or other fluids under pressure and the spacers are vented for the fluid to exhaust through the fabric plies and cool and otherwise treat the buff face.

The coolant may be, or entrain, an abrasive compound supplied at a rate to load the fabric to a desired density and maintain the necessary saturation or head on the face for buffing. Unlike wheels to which compound only is supplied externally, wheels supplied with compound internally have the advantage of a continuing, regulated supply regardless of the rates of use and buff wear.

Novelfeatures characteristic of the invention are set forth above and together with additional objects, advantages and characteristics, will be appreciated from the following description of a specific embodiment when considered with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view partially in section of a buff shaft;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing buff sections and spacers secured on the shaft in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2 showing an interlocking spacer arrangement embodying the invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3 showing buffing section rims gripped between interlocking spacers on the buff shaft; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional fragmentary view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4 showing details of a pair of interlocking spacers and a buff section secured therebetween.

The buff wheel construction shown in the drawing includes a buff shaft generally designated 11 including a hollow tubular centerportion 13, one end of which has a hollow stub shaft 15 welded or otherwise secured therein. Bearing l7 rotatably journals the shaft 11 in a buff wheel supporting frame 19 which may be fixed or adjustably mounted in accordance with well known practice for buffing jacks and heads.

Secured on the stub 15 for rotating the buff shaft 11 is a pulley or sheave 21 belt-driven by a motor (not shown) mounted on the buffing head frame 19.

While only the single supporting bearing 17 is required, for greater stability a second bearing 23 rotatably supports a bushing 25 integrally secured in the other end of the tubular portion 13 of the shaft 11.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing of the hearing 23 is smaller in diameter than the tubular shaft 13 to permit the removal and replacement of the rims 27 to buff sections 29 and spacers 31 on the shaft 11 when quick release jaws 19a are open. Closed, the jaws 19a secure the housing of the bearing 23 against whip or vibration movement relative to the frame 19.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the buff wheel shaft 11 has four external longitudinal ribs 33 equally spaced about and welded to the tubular portion 13. The outer surfaces 35 of the ribs 33 are curved to slidably conform to the inner periphery 37 of the dividers 31 and inner periphery 39 of the buff section rims 27, each of which comprises an annular jaw portion 28 of U-shaped cross section in which the buff fabric is gathered and secured by opposing and inwardly projecting teeth 30 firmly pressed into the fabric.

Each spacer 31 has spaced side surfaces 41 and 43 engaging the adjacent side surfaces 45 of the rims 27. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the spacers 31 have diametrically disposed pairs of internal lugs 47, adjacent sides 49 of which provide longitudinally extending grooves and the sides 49 in diametrically opposite pairs straddle and key on the sides of the ribs 33 to prevent rotation of the spacers about the shaft 11.

Each lug 49 has a slot 51 on one side of the dividers 31 and a tongue 53 on the other side so that the slot 49 and tongue 51 of adjacent spacers 33 make keying engagement in alignment with each other to facilitate preassembly of buff sections 27 and dividers 31 with the keying sides 49 aligned to receive the ribs 35 when the assembly is slid onto the shaft 11. In addition, each of the lugs 33 has a portion 55 projecting beyond the lug side surface 41 and having an outer surface 57 to receive and align a buff rim 27 thereon. As shown in FIG. 4 the portions 55 project less than the width of the rim 27 so that the sides of the dividers 31 may firmly engage the sides of the buff rims 27. Preferably, the outer diameterof the dividers or spacers 31 is approximately the same as that of the buff rims 27 so as to securely reinforce the grip of the teeth 30 on the fabric and so that the fabric immediately outward of the teeth does not engage the sides of the dividers 31.

In addition to the longitudinally projecting tongues 53, the lugs 47 have inwardly projecting knob or button portions 59 for securing a preassembly of buff sections 29 and spacers 31 together with an elastic band 61 stretched over the knobs 59 and anchored on the knobs of the end spacers of the preassembly. Thus secured together the assembly may be readily slid onto the shaft 11 with the faces 49 of the lugs 47 individually .keyed on the shaft ribs 35, the interlocking tongues 53 and grooves 51 of adjacent dividers further preventing disalignment of the dividers while the assembly is being mounted on the shaft 1 1. I

After mounting the buff assembly, a'locking ring 62 I is slid over the housing 23 of the end bearing onto the shaft 11. Bayonet fingers 63 projecting inwardly from the lock ring 62 receive the heads 65 of clamping bolts 67 for tightening the buff assembly securely on the shaft 11.

' As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the clamping bolts 67 are secured in the arms 71 of a spider 69 which is restrained from rotating in the shaft 11 by slidable engagement of the arms 71 with slot edges 73 in the wall 13 of the shaft 11. The spider 69 is thread-mounted on a jackshaft 75 journaled for rotation and against longitudinal movement in a bushing secured in and to the wall 13 of the shaft 11 and also in the bore 79 of the shaft end bushing 25. The end of the jackshaft 75 extends out of the bearing housing 23 and is hex or otherwise headed as at 81 for turning the jackscrew 75.

The buff assembly of sections 29 and interposed spacers 31 is secured on the shaft 11 by manually turning the bayonet ring 62 so that its fingers 63 receive and grip the heads 65 of the clamping screws 67 carried by the spider arms 71. Thereafter the head 81 of jackscrew 75 is turned as with a wrench or other tool until travel of the spider 69 has drawn the bayonet ring 62 sufficiently onto the shaft 11 to press all of the adjacent buff rims 27 and spacers 31 into secure engagement with each other and with the shaft 11. When the buffs are worn out, they may be removed readily after unscrewing the jackshaft 75, turning the bayonet ring 62 to disengage the anchor screw heads 65 from the fingers 63 and opening the jaws 19a beyond the periphery of the buff wheel sections 29.

The slots 73 in the shaft wall 13 for the spider arms 71 also provide for the flow of air and other fluids from the interior of the shaft 11 through the wall 13 to the interior of the assembly of rims 27 and spacers 31. Air or other fluid coolants and abrasive entrained fluid and liquid compounds may be regulably introduced into the buff shaft 1 1 from a line 83 through a gland or rotatable coupling 85 extending through a bore in the end of the shaft on which the drive pulley 21 is mounted. The flow is exhausted through the slots 73 in the shaft and out through spaced radial extending grooves 87 in the side walls 43 of the spacers 31.

The coolant and other fluids regulably feed through each of the spacers and are uniformly distributed to the fabric of each of the buff sections 29 and, to the periphery of the buff wheel which they form.

The flow of coolant between each buff section 27 precludes the retention and build-up of excessive heat.

Where abrasive compound is entrained and fed outwardly through the buff, the buff fabric is assured pretreatment with compound before fresh buff surface is exposed by wear. Employed to supplement externally applied compound, a more effective continuous abrasive coating on the face of the wheel may be achieved.

Changes may be made in the above construction and operation and different embodiments of the invention may be made within the scope thereof. It is intended that the embodiment described and shown in the drawings is illustrative and not restricted to details thereof but shall include alternatives within the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a driven buff wheel shaft journalled in a buff head and having a plurality of external longitudinal ribs; a plurality of buff sections each having an internal rim slidably mountable over said shaft on said ribs; spacers between and separating the rims of each buff section; each spacer having spaced side surfaces engaging adjacent side surfaces of said rims; internal lugs on said spacer keying on said ribs and preventing rotation of said spacers about the shaft; and said shaft having tightening means for pressing the spacers and buff sections into keyed friction engagement with each other.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein each ofsaid lugs has a slot and a tongue, the slot and tongue of adjacent spacers making keying engagement in alignment with each other.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein-each of said lugs has a portion projecting beyond a lug side surface into aligning inner peripheral engagement with a buff rim and said projecting portions being of lesser thickness than the rim aligned thereon.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein each of said lugs has an internal anchor portion, said anchors being alignable with each other along a rib and the extreme anchor portions being securable to hold an assembly of buff sections and spacers in aligned engagement while ternal buff sections and said shaft having an internal passage for channeling fluid to the interior of the buff and spacer assembly and through said spacer passages to said buff sections. 

1. In combination with a driven buff wheel shaft journalled in a buff head and having a plurality of external longitudinal ribs; a plurality of buff sections each having an internal rim slidably mountable over said shaft on said ribs; spacers between and separating the rims of each buff section; each spacer having spaced side surfaces engaging adjacent side surfaces of said rims; internal lugs on said spacer keying on said ribs and preventing rotation of said spacers about the shaft; and said shaft having tightening means for pressing the spacers and buff sections into keyed friction engagement with each other.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein each of said lugs has a slot and a tongue, the slot and tongue of adjacent spacers making keying engagement in alignment with each other.
 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein each of said lugs has a portion projecting beyond a lug side surface into aligning inner peripheral engagement with a buff rim and said projecting portions being of lesser thickness than the rim aligned thereon.
 4. The combination of claim 3 wherein each of said lugs has an internal anchor portion, said anchors being alignable with each other along a rib and the extreme anchor portions being securable to hold an assembly of buff sections and spacers in aligned engagement while sliding the assembly on said shaft, in keying relationship with said ribs.
 5. The combination of claim 3 wherein said spacers having passages from inner to outer surfaces between the side surfaces of the spacers, said passages channeling flow of fluid from the interior of the shaft to the external buff sections and said shaft having an internal passage for channeling fluid to the interior of the buff and spacer assembly and through said spacer passages to said buff sections. 